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Title Details:
Cornelius Castoriadis: the militant subject, the imaginary institution of society, and creation
Authors: Kioupkiolis, Alexandros
Reviewer: Sevastakis, Nikolaos
Description:
Abstract:
Chapter Four elaborates on an alternative interpretation of the subject of freedom based on the work of Cornelius Castoriadis, developing his theory of the imaginary institution of society, which forms the foundation of his understanding of autonomous society and democracy. This approach is marked by a productive dual emphasis on both the social and the psychic dimensions of the individual, along with the tensions and gaps that arise between them. Most importantly, it identifies the subject of freedom with an open, dynamic tension between its many limitations — which can never be fully known or entirely overcome — and its capacity to transcend given boundaries. In contrast to negative freedom, this conception highlights the importance of various practices of critical reflection and psychoanalysis, which could reduce the heteronomous influences of social prejudices, psychic attachments, and unconscious fixations. The emphasis on the creative capacities of individuals points toward a horizon of thought and action beyond pre-established limits. Meanwhile, the emphasis on the creative powers of the “anonymous collective” and the theory of the social construction of society grounded in these powers allows us to conceive a model of social self-governance or radical democracy, in which citizens are able to question and revise any law, social relation, or principle by recognizing it as a historical institution.
Type: Chapter
Creation Date: 2015
Item Details:
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/gr
Handle http://hdl.handle.net/11419/4814
Bibliographic Reference: Kioupkiolis, A. (2015). Cornelius Castoriadis: the militant subject, the imaginary institution of society, and creation [Chapter]. In Kioupkiolis, A. 2015. Philosophies of freedom [Undergraduate textbook]. Kallipos, Open Academic Editions. https://hdl.handle.net/11419/4814
Language: Greek
Is Part of: Philosophies of freedom
Publication Origin: Kallipos, Open Academic Editions